When was the last time you stopped and looked at your feet?

Before I started studying the amazing human body, I really didn’t think about my feet except for when they hurt when I wore high heels! but now I find feet fascinating! With one foot alone containing around 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and over 200,000 nerve endings. With this in mind, is it time we all start paying more attention to our feet?

When we pay attention to our feet we do need to look at our foot wear. The picture below in red shows how ‘normal’ everyday footwear can start to distort the shape of our feet and over time this can lead to pain, in the feet and/or other parts of the body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The below picture in red demonstrates how heeled shoes and this includes your comfy trainers (oh no!) can have an effect on the body’s alignment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normal everyday trainers have become increasingly popular and although they are comfy, they usually have a raised heel, are cushioned and may include an arch support. This type of shoe can affect the way you walk and your posture.

What are other options to ‘normal’ modern day footwear?

Walking barefoot as much as possible will help along with getting a pair of shoes that are right for your feet. When choosing new shoes, I recommend looking for a pair that is wide enough at the toe box to allow your toes to spread out the way they should and the sole of the shoe should be thin and flexible to allow your feet to feel the ground. There are now many companies offering different types and styles of barefoot shoes, so its worth checking them out.

If you decide to start walking around barefoot more often please remember to take it slow as it can take time for your feet to adapt. You can even start with as little as 5 minutes a day to begin with and build up from there. Is it time to take off your shoes and give your feet some freedom?

If your looking for more information on this, I highly recommend you check out Shoespiracy video, please click on link to watch video – Shoespiracy